Is cardio needed for me?

[eazyb81]

I need some opinions, so I figured I'd ask here. Currently, I'm a 5'10, 155-160 lbs. newbie to lifting. I've just completed my 2nd week and I feel I'm getting stronger, considering I've practically doubled my food intake and I'm eating everything in sight (mom is so happy ). But w/ eating all this food, comes a little bit of weight gain I'm sure, and I had a little bit of fat around my midsection before I started. So, I'm wondering should I do some cardio after my workouts, or should I just concentrate all my energy on lifting and bulking. I am a natural ectomorph if it matters at all, but I feel like I might start getting fat after eating all this food. What do guys think, should I do cardio or not? And if so, how much? Thanks for the replies.

 

[bilat]

Depends on your goals.

 

[Optimus B]

do cardio if only for your heart and cardiovascular system. go for 2-4x/week 20-30min @70% of your max heart rate (220-age).

 

[Zander1983]

Depends on your goals.

Indeed. What is the most important that you want to gain from training, at this point in time?

 

[Lord_Suston]

Do a little cardio... I made the mistake not to do some cardio when i first really starte to lift weights and had hard times trying to finish my workouts because I was so out of shape. Now that i sprint on a reguar basis can blast through workouts and take less times between sets.. Just don't everdo it.. I prefer sprints since it is short and intense and won't cause you to be that catabolic

 

[PatsFan34]

Definately do some cardio. Like Lord Sus said, it aids in recovery for between sets. You won't be so sluggish at the end of heavy lifting days. Jumping rope is great cardio! Wind sprints, running stairs, etc. To burn fat, do some distance at a steady pace. 3 miles a couple times a week is good!

 

[eazyb81]

well, my goals are basically to gain strength, muscle and mass, especially in my upper body where i'm fairly weak. But, that doesn't mean i want to gain fatty weight, just muscle. I don't know if that's very realistic though considering how much food i'm eating and the weight training i've been doing. I thought I heard somewhere on this board that if you stay in the gym longer than 45 min to 1 hour, that it begins to be counterproductive? If that is the case, and I am only going to gym 3 days a week (M-W-F), should I still finish w/ 20-30 min of cardio? It usually takes me about 45 min to finish my normal workout, so would it be counterproductive (meaning lose muscle mass) to do cardio afterwards? My main goal is to bulk up and gain muscle, so what do you guys think i should do?

 

[bilat]

If you do AM cardio on an empty stomach, it should help you lose fat but you shouldn't drop much if any muscle.

I think we have similar goals, check the DC thread at the top. That's what i'm doing for my training. Make sure to eat a lot of protein.

 

[eazyb81]

Truthfully, I really don't want to do AM cardio if I'm going to be going back to the gym later that afternoon for my regular workout. I only have time to lift 3 days a week, so can I do cardio directly after that workout and lose some fat w/o losing muscle? Also, is there any truth to what I heard about not staying in the gym over 45 min. - 1 hr.? I thought after that point, anything you do would be counterproductive? If this true or not?

 

[SofaGeorge]

Cardio is for the birds. Do something instead. Study boxing. Go on hikes... rake your leaves... build a fence... walk your dog.

Cardio for cardios sake is a waste of life.